Kids and Families

Books about the Middle East

For Grade Schoolers:

The Best Eid Ever by Asma Mobin-Uddin. 2007.

Celebrate Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr by Deborah Heiligman. 2006.
Celebrating Ramadan by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. 2001.
The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman. 2002.
The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland. 1990.
From Far Away by Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar. 1995.
Goha the Wise Fool by Denys Johnson-Davies. 2005.
The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox. 1998.
The House of Wisdom by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland. 1999.
I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite. 2006.
I Am Muslim by Jessica Chalfonte. 1996.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. 2005.
Magid Fasts for Ramadan by Mary Matthews. 1996.
Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali by Khephra Burns. 2001.
Muhammad by Demi. 2003.
Muslim Child: Understanding Islam Through Stories and Poems by Rukhsana Khan. 2002.
My First Ramadan by Karen Katz. 2007.
My Name Is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin. 2005.
My Name Was Hussein by Hristo Kyuchukov. 2004.
Nadia the Willful by Sue Alexander. 1992.
Nadia's Hands by Karen English. 1999.
Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi. 1996.
The Roses in My Carpets by Rukhsana Khan. 2004.
Ruler of the Courtyard by Rukhsana Khan. 2003.
Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. 2002.
Sami and the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland. 1992.
Samira's Eid by Nasreen Aktar. 2000.
Season of the Sandstorms by Mary Pope Osborne. 2005.
Silly Chicken by Rukhsana Khan. 2005.
Sindbad: From the Tales of the Thousand and One Nights by Ludmilla Zeman. 1999.
Sitti and the Cats: A Tale of Friendship by Sally Bahous. 1997.
Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye. 1997.
The Swirling Hijaab by Na'ima Bint Robert. 2002.
The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: A Story from the Arabian Nights by Eric A. Kimmel. 1996.
The Three Princes: A Tale from the Middle East by Eric A. Kimmel. 1994.
Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battua by James Rumford. 2001.

For Middle Schoolers:

19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye. 2002.
Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty. 2004.
The Atlas of Islam: People, Daily Life, and Traditions by Neil Morris. 2003.
The Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple. 1996.
Being Muslim: A Groundwork Guide by Haroon Siddiqui. 2006.
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah. 2005.
Figs and Fate: Stories about Growing Up in the Arab World Today by Elsa Marston. 2005.
Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye. 1997.
Islam by Philip Wilkinson. 2002.
Kampung Boy by Lat. 2006.
A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird with Sonia Nimr. 2004.
Malcom X by Jack Rummel. 1989.
Mosque by David Macaulay. 2003.
Mud City by Deborah Ellis. 2003.
Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis. 2003.
Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. 2002.
Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi. 2000.
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples. 1989.
The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz. 2005.
The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East edited by Naomi Shihab Nye. 1998.
A Stone in My Hand by Cathryn Clinton. 2002.
Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis. 2004.

For High Schoolers:

The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcom X with Alex Haley. 1992.

Dahling If You Love Me Would You Please, Please Smile by Rukhsana Khan. 1999.

For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire by James Yee. 2005.
Islam: A Very Short Introduction by Malise Ruthven. 1997.
Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene. 2006.
Kiss the Dust by Elisabeth Laird. 1992.
The Rumi Collection by Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi. 2000.
Understanding the Holy Land by Mitch Frank. 2005.
Women in the Middle East: Tradition and Change by Elsa Marston and Ramsay M. Harik. 2003.

Sources: Allen County Public Library, Edmonton Public Library, Book Links (January 2006), RukhsanaKhan.com

Created by AL 9/08